Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,058 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bloemfontein and in Pretoria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bloemfontein and in Pretoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,058
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,668 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,668
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,278
Pretoria $2,678

Bloemfontein is about 17% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bloemfontein and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Bloemfontein 22% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 R 197

$9.28 R 154

27.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.31 R 671

$36.09 R 600

11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 R 116

$5.20 R 86.6

34.23%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.90

$2.18 R 36.33

-3.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.94

$1.03 R 17.13

33.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.75

$0.85 R 14.06

32.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 R 41.75

$2.61 R 43.50

-3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 46.11

$3.24 R 53.9

-14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.20

$1.17 R 19.45

-11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 17.10

$1.13 R 18.72

-8.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.47

$1.83 R 30.48

13.11%

Eggs

$2.15 R 35.70

$2.40 R 39.89

-10.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 126

$8.16 R 136

-7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 80.9

$4.97 R 82.7

-2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.03 R 134

$7.38 R 123

8.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.31

$1.70 R 28.32

10.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.61 R 26.80

-7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.71

$1.77 R 29.50

1.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.56 R 26.02

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.09

$1.12 R 18.61

34.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.32

$1.22 R 20.26

49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 R 18.98

$1.22 R 20.36

-6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.32

$1.27 R 21.12

-27.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 R 40.52

$3.17 R 52.8

-23.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.9

$4.94 R 82.2

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.11

$1.50 R 24.94

20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.58

$1.92 R 31.87

-29.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.36

$4.77 R 79.4

-80.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.8 R 1,262

$179 R 2,976

-57.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R 17.45

$0.29 R 4.81

262.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.19

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 237

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.34

$1.55 R 25.72

-5.81%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K R 595.9K

$35.0K R 582.1K

2.37%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.2K R 485.8K

$35.0K R 582.0K

-16.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$78.3 R 1,303

$148 R 2,469

-47.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.92 R 548

$36.56 R 608

-9.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 R 538

$36.12 R 601

-10.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 R 522

$31.26 R 520

0.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 82.2

$7.29 R 121

-32.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$194 R 3,234

$263 R 4,381

-26.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 R 998

$52.1 R 867

15.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.72 R 694

$31.93 R 531

30.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 R 2,234

$91.8 R 1,528

46.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 R 1,895

$82.2 R 1,367

38.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 R 5,175

$450 R 7,486

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R 4,638

$359 R 5,978

-22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 R 8,483

$1,040 R 17.3K

-50.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R 8,803

$735 R 12.2K

-28.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$477 R 7,934

$869 R 14.5K

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$617 R 10.3K

$664 R 11.1K

-7.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,291 R 21.5K

$1,386 R 23.1K

-6.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

11.34

6.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$279 26.4%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 28.9% $81

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$187 17.7%

Pretoria

$192 15% 2.5% $4.6

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$169 16%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 15.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.9%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 26.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$144 13.6%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 54% $78

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 151% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 11% $4.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $311 in Bloemfontein versus $450 in Pretoria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Pretoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Bloemfontein versus $36 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Bloemfontein vs $192 in Pretoria – so Bloemfontein wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

Same time as Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bloemfontein Pretoria 420 km

From you

Bloemfontein
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bloemfontein vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria costs about 21% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,586 per month in Bloemfontein and $1,919 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $311 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Bloemfontein and $36 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Bloemfontein. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,058 in Bloemfontein and $1,279 in Pretoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pretoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.